Krakow 2022 Olympic bid chief resigns

LONDON, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Polish city Krakow's bidding chief for the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics has resigned because of a "smear campaign" over allegations her husband offered to pay journalists to write positive stories about the bid.

Jagna Marczulajtis-Walczak said in a statement, "Given the smear campaign conducted against me and the generally unfavorable media climate surrounding the project itself, I have deemed that my resignation could advance the ultimate objective, which is for Krakow to become the host city of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games.

"I deeply regret the current situation for which I can hardly be held directly accountable."

It has been alleged her husband Andrzej Walczak met with local journalists in Poland while she was attending the SportAccord International Convention earlier this week in Belek, Turkey, offering money if they wrote stories that were positive about the Krakow bid.

She denied all the allegations, saying, "I wish to state once again that at no time was I aware of the actions taken by my husband, Andrzej Walczak, during my stay at the sports conference in Turkey."

Five cities are bidding for the 2002 Winter Olympics including Krakow, Almaty in Kazakhstan, Beijing in China, Lviv in Ukraine and Oslo in Norway.

The IOC will decide the host city in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on July 31, 2015.